Cracking The Code: Why Stripe Defies A Tech-Interview Norm

What's the best way of sizing up a job candidate's computer programming skills? Many tech interviewers opt for a high-pressure stint at a whiteboard, in which job seekers must write out their solutions to a coding problem in full public view. But that's not how Stripe, a fast-growing San Francisco payments company, does it.

"We let candidates do their interviews on their own laptops," says Raylene Yung, head of product at Stripe. That's a lower-pressure format in which candidates can regroup quickly and privately if they make an early misstep. Once candidates are finished, then they show their work.

Stripe's approach makes a "huge difference in candidates' comfort," says Yung, who spoke Aug. 4 at a San Francisco panel on tech hiring practices. Capable but less assertive programmers can be judged on the strength of their actual work, rather than losing points for poor showmanship.

Besides, as fellow panelist Aditya Agarwal observed, most actual programming at companies is done on coders' own laptops, rather than at whiteboards. So laptop tests more closely approximate actual coding conditions. Agarwal is head of engineering at Dropbox.

Last year, Vivek Ravisankar, the cofounder and chief executive of HackerRank, argued in this post that whiteboard programming tests are a "really bizarre" relic of 1990s hiring methods that should be jettisoned. His company promotes online coding challenges that offer a contrast to whiteboard tests, so his point of view is no surprise. But other software engineers say the continuing popularity of whiteboard tests is more of a testament to pragmatism, rather than ideals.

Whatever their flaws, whiteboard tests are well-suited to running many candidates through interviews quickly. That's valuable to large companies that keep growing and may have thousands of positions to fill in a year. (Think Microsoft or Google.) Smaller companies then emulate the habits of industry leaders, even if they don't need to. Another factor: whiteboard tests put the judges' role front and center, which may suit some organizations' power dynamics.